


beneath the stains of time

by dami_an



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Am regretting everything, Angst, BokuKuro bromance is lyfe, Eventual Romance, M/M, None of these makes any sense, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-28
Updated: 2017-05-03
Packaged: 2018-10-12 00:06:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10477617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dami_an/pseuds/dami_an
Summary: In a world dominated by Betas, Bokuto is an unstable Alpha and Akaashi is a rebellious Omega.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> ABO dynamics with a tinge of Sentinel/Guide!AU
> 
> because why the hell not?
> 
>  
> 
> (pretty sure am gonna regret this in the future)

 

 

"Heads up."

Bokuto raises his head from his cupped hands, his face lit by the bright sunlight streaming through the high window of the cafeteria, only to find a bottle of pills thrown in his direction. With his impressive reflex, Bokuto effortlessly catches the orange bottle and reads the label.

"Suppressants?" he asks with an eyebrow raised.

Kuroo takes a seat across the table from him. "I got it from Yaku."

"But I still have some left," Bokuto says, producing another orange bottle from the pocket of his cargo pants. The pills rattle loudly when he shakes the bottle to check the content. "See? I don't need it. Give it back to Yakkun."

Kuroo catches the bottle, only to toss it back to Bokuto. "You can't fool me, Bo. Your headache, it's getting worst, isn't it?"

A weary sigh escapes Bokuto. This particular topic he dislikes the most. He rubs a hand over his tired face. "I'm fine, Kuroo."

"Dude, you fucking missed three of your targets this morning," Kuroo reminds him of his missing targets at the training field, and it aggravates Bokuto's constant low-grade headache.

"Shit happened, Kuroo," Bokuto mumbles, resting his chin on his folded arms on the table. Afternoon sunlight from outside stings his eyes even though it's obscured by the clouds. One of these days he hates his heightened senses so much.

"Three, Bo. Three easy targets that popped out right in front of your eyes." Kuroo shoves three fingers in Bokuto's face to emphasize his point. "And you always ace your training no matter what. Even when you catch a cold."

"Bro, you worry too much—"

"You groaned in pain every time that monster of an Alpha, Ushiwaka fired, and he was on the other side of the field, which is bordered with thick, steel walls with cushion inside to absorb the sound. But you, my brother from another mother, picked up on that," Kuroo points out, and when Bokuto opens his mouth to protest, he shuts him down, "Ah, ah. I know I'm not a high level Alpha like you, but I'm not blind. I saw it, Bo. I saw you clutch your head. You were in fucking pain."

Bokuto buries his face in his folded arms, unable to deny that simple fact.

"Admit it, your control is fraying. It's a matter of time before your super senses fry your own puny brain," Kuroo says, complete with a sharp glare.

Exasperation shimmers hot under Bokuto's skin. He's well aware of his awaiting ending if he was to not address this problem. He's known the risks ever since he matured quite early in life as a high level Alpha.

Blessed with enhanced sight, scent, hearing, taste and touch, the Guild had been delighted and quickly seen to his comfort and military training, but had also been quickly frustrated because Bokuto couldn't bond with any of the registered elite military Omegas presented to him. Some of them, in fact, aggravated him so much that he lashed out physically to force them away.

With his determination and boisterous personality, Bokuto manages to keep the pain at bay in order to complete his missions. It works for the first few years in a tribute of his sheer stubbornness. But without an Omega to ground him, it can do so much.

"What do you want me to do, then?" Bokuto shoots back.

"Take the pills. The dose is higher. Should be enough to suppress your enhanced senses better. Then go to the Centre. Find yourself an Omega."

"Hah, you're saying like it's the easiest thing to do in the world," Bokuto scoffs. "Dude, you're forgetting two important things here, 1) there aren't many Omegas out there, and 2) it isn't just any Omega. It's gotta be a super special Omega who has the super duper calming effect to balance out my heightened senses. And in case you forgot again, I have the fucking Big Five. How am I supposed to find this super special, rare Omega?"

Kuroo sighs, "Seeing you all pessimistic like this is unbecoming. Give me back my old, annoying, loud, happy Bokuto."

"Fuck you, Kuroo," Bokuto mumbles without heat, dropping the upper body on the table. "You keep yelling at me to shut my mouth when I'm all smiling. Make up your mind, asshole."

"That's because you never talk when you're fine. You fucking scream. Learn how to use an indoor voice, will you?"

Bokuto sticks his tongue out, "Make me," and he leans away with a smirk just in the nick of time before Kuroo manages to take a hold of his tongue.

A set of familiar footsteps in midst of bustling cafeteria doesn't miss from Bokuto's sharp hearing. Bokuto averts his eyes over Kuroo's shoulder to the cafeteria door, and Kuroo mirrors him by twisting his body around.

At the door, one head pokes in and then smiles. "There you are."

"Mama-Suga~!" Bokuto greets with a wide smile. Meanwhile, Kuroo opts to greet him with a simple flick of the hand.

Sugawara walks over to their table, a hand on his hip while the other is holding a file. He frowns. "I've been searching you guys for ages. Please don't disappear without notifying us."

"I wouldn't call it disappear if we're still in this haunted building," Kuroo says, gesturing around, "You could've asked Azumane to find us. Make full use of his enhanced touch. Fuck the rules. No one would know."

"No one would know but his righteousness and guilt would kill him for sure," Sugawara reprimands in a soft, but deadly tone. Then he thrusts a file into Bokuto's hands. "Here. Your new mission, your new target, the Kazuo brothers. The intel managed to track their activities in the city from the last 24 hours. It seems like they're planning something nasty. You can acquire more information on them from Tokyo PD. I've informed the Chief to assist your case. It'd be great if you move now."

"Right now? At this peak hour?" Bokuto whines. "Nope. No, no, no, nope! Are you trying to kill me? All the noises and odors and presences—too much for my senses. Can you find someone else? Or can we at least wait until the peak hour is over?"

An understanding look passes over Sugawara's face. "I'm sorry, Bokuto. I tried, but Daichi is having a meeting with the board members. Azumane is off duty to visit his Beta. Ushijima and Tendou have been assigned to a case this morning, while Oikawa and Iwaizumi are away on a mission. Only you and Kuroo are left. And the Kazuo brothers are already on the move. We can't afford to dilly-dally any longer."

"Still—"

"Also," Sugawara's face breaks into a wide, hopeful smile, "I was told by Yaku that you got a higher dose today. It should be able to help you control your enhanced senses, yes?"

At the mention of the pills, Bokuto glares at Kuroo, loaded with a promise of an extremely painful and disturbing future which Kuroo doesn't doubt Bokuto has no problem of fulfilling.

 _Oh well_ , Kuroo pulls a smirk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Thank you for your hard work, Konoha-san," Akaashi tells his fellow barista on his way out. The blonde waves one last time before he escapes onto the pavement, leaving Akaashi and Tsukishima to their duty for the rest of the day.

"Akaashi-san," Tsukishima passes him the cup, eyes on the register entry as he rings up the total.

One glance at the cup, Akaashi moves swiftly, hands working over the espresso machine. He has the drink ready by the time Tsukishima is finished with the change for another customer and is already handing the cup over, followed by "Have a nice day."

The café isn't too crowded that late afternoon. After entertaining a customer, Akaashi slides the tub of dirty dishes on the counter by the sink and then goes to grab the shot glasses off the bar, just to kill some time. He flips the water on and starts to soap up.

"Tsukishima, I'm going to swing by the drugstore on the way home later. You need anything?" Akaashi asks, out of politeness.

Tsukishima looks up from the register entry. "Drugstore? Are you sick?"

"No, I'm fine. I just need to restock my blockers and heat suppressants," Akaashi answers, handing a stack of wet plates to Tsukishima, who left the register entry to take a place next to him so he can dry and put them away.

Tsukishima makes an understanding sound, and for that, Akashi is heartily thankful. It's a blessing to have an understanding housemate like Tsukishima even though the taller male is a Beta. He never questions Akaashi's decision to keep his identity as an Omega.

As an unregistered Omega, it is hard enough to stay on the down low and avoid the Alphas Akaashi might come in contact with on the job. Fortunately, everyone at the café helps keep an eye out for any unbonded Alpha who might come sniffing around. They're all united in the belief that everyone should be allowed to live as they choose, not as the property of the government with no choices of their own.

Since Omegas are extremely rare—rarer than Alphas, the government propaganda offers a smooth line of patter about how well Omegas are treated to attract more of them, but Akaashi has seen for himself the reality of the life—how his cousin was forced to bond with a military Army Alpha twice her age, and his casual contempt and rough treatment towards her made a lasting impression on Akaashi.

He is no one's slave. Akaashi is his own person, and he'd like to keep that way until his last breath. 

"Tadashi's coming over tonight," Tsukishima says. "We need to restock our fridge if we want to have dinner at home."

"We should make a grocery list," Akaashi suggests, turning on his heels when he hears the bell from the door chime in.

Two customers come in, loud and uncaring about the pleasant atmosphere they're shattering with their booming voices as they continue bickering. Akaashi jerks his chin at the register entry to Tsukishima, and in that process, he catches sight of the unmistakable sunburst sigils of an Alpha on their collars, and one of them has a black zigzag of a lightning bolt across the back of his vest indicating an unbonded Alpha.

Akaashi freezes.

His eyes are glued to the unbonded Alpha—a muscular build and broad shoulders under the dark clothes, monochrome hair that defies the gravity, paired with golden-colored eyes, and his confidence strides scream 'Alpha', loud and clear that it makes Akaashi's heart pound loudly, and then louder, and louder, and louder still as they're nearing the counter.

Tsukishima seems to notice the change in Akaashi, and promptly stands closer to the register entry with a poker face on. Akaashi keeps reminding himself that this is a normal situation. He's encountered with many unbonded Alphas, and he always manages to slip away. This time shouldn't be any different as well.

All he has to do is stay calm and do his work as usual. He can do this, he can—

A pair of golden-colored eyes meet Akaashi's, and for a few long moments, they simply stare at each other.

And then; "Mate?"

Akaashi flees.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for your comment in the last chapter ^^

 

 

Everything happens in fleeting seconds. One moment Bokuto is staring at his Omega—his beautiful Omega, whose scent is as refreshing as fresh citrus with warm, salty undertones of clean male musk, and the next his Omega is running away from him.

The Omega has slipped past behind the blonde at the register entry and is heading for the back door. Bokuto's instinct kicks into gear before his mind's caught up, hand reaching out for him but the Omega ducks just as fast—a quick reflex that an Omega shouldn't possess, and yet Bokuto is witnessing it himself, and feels a bloom of pride blossom in his chest.

His Omega isn't weak. Bokuto never feels so lucky before.

"The hell!"

Kuroo's surprised shout from behind prompts Bokuto breaking into a sprint. The Omega has escaped onto the back alley, Bokuto hot on his heels. It amazes him to see his mate be able to keep a distance between them. An athletic, healthy mate, he mentally cheers. It's everything he can wish for. Bokuto is already looking forward to what his mate stores more in him.

The Omega rounds the corner and slips into a crowded street, maneuvering himself through people with ease while Bokuto struggles to keep up with his pace without bumping into people. For a brief moment, Bokuto is grateful for Kuroo's insistence on forcing him to switch to the higher dose suppressants, or he'd be too in pain to move, suffocated by the constant assault on his enhanced senses from the bustling city around him.

There's a green traffic light ahead. The Omega's sprint falters as he takes in the information, and Bokuto uses the lapse to close the distance between them, grab the Omega by the wrist and whirl him around facing him.

Their eyes meet again for the second time, and this time Bokuto can see the details of his eyes. Dark blue. Dark as a night sky, deep and mysterious as an ocean.

It's mesmerizing.

Distracted by his beauty, Bokuto fails to see a fist aiming at his chin until the impact hits him hard, sending him reeling backward. His vision is clouded by dizziness from the impact. Through his blurry vision, he catches a guilty look passing over the Omega's face.

For some reason, Bokuto doesn't like that expression on his mate's face. He wants the expression to disappear. He wants to replace the expression with a smile. A brilliant, calming smile—

"Bokuto!"

Kuroo's yell startles them both. The Omega seizes the opportunity to cross the road. Out of pure instinct, Bokuto reaches out for him but is yanked back by the collar.

"The fuck, Kuroo?!" Bokuto asks angrily, glancing over his shoulder at Kuroo.

"The hell you doing, trying to get yourself killed?!" Kuroo shouts back.

"Wha—"

Before he can finish his word, a car zooms past right in front of him, followed by the rest. Bokuto looks up at the light; it's turned red. Then he sees his Omega—his beautiful, wonderful, strong Omega stand on the other side of the road, safe and sound.

Kuroo is talking to him. The traffic is loud. The smell of carbon is thick in the air. The sunlight is too bright for his sharp eyes. His skin tingles every time it makes contact with the passers-by. His chin throbs in pain. Bokuto should be bothered by the stimulus pattering constantly on his heightened senses but he isn't. No, he isn't bothered as he's staring at the beautiful Omega with a rapt expression, too deep in the calm world that belongs to him and his mate only.

Bokuto opens his mouth but stops himself when his sharp eyes catch his mate's lips moving that says, "Sorry," before he turns around to leave.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"You serious?!" Konoha shouts from the kitchen as he rummages through the cabinet for a glass.

"Yeah," Akaashi sighs, melting into the comfort of the couch. The muscles in his legs are still shrieking in protest from the long run he did earlier. Konoha's apartment is quite furnished compared to his and Tsukishima's—air-conditioned and all. He thinks the reason being one of Konoha's housemates, Sarukui has a full-time job.

Komi ambles through the bedroom's door and passes him a shirt and pair of jeans. "Here, it's Konoha's. It's a miracle that you even managed to escape."

"I was lucky," Akaashi leaves it to that, without adding 'I punched him in the face' because Komi would definitely smother him with kisses and praises if he knew, and Akaashi doesn't need that at the moment. Everyone knows Komi has a thing for challenging the authority.

Konoha reappears, with a glass of water in his hand. He puts the glass on the table in front of Akaashi. He points out, "I thought you had your scent blocker on."

"I did, but he managed to take a whiff of my scent."

"Ah, he must have his sense of smell enhanced. Very powerful one, at that. Man, talk about bad luck," Komi says. "What're you going to do now? Stay low until everything's settled?"

"You could stay with us until everything's calmed down. I'll let our boss know tomorrow, he'll understand. As for your classes, I think Komi can come up with something to cover you up," Konoha suggests. "I'm sure it won't be too long before he gives up on you."

"He won't."

"He won't what?" Komi asks.

"He won't give up," Akaashi repeats, eyes fixated on the glass as his mind rewinds everything. The happiness, the frustration, the longing, the admiration and the determination on the Alpha's face—Akaashi remembers them all. And that's why Akaashi is convinced that the Alpha will never let him go.

Komi hums, thinking. "Maybe you should have a vacation. Take a public transport. Stop at a few random places so they won't be able to track you down. This is the Guild we're talking about. They won't let this slide away easily, especially when it comes to potential mates for their pawns. They're probably running through the system as we speak."

Akaashi blinks at Komi, dumbfounded, while Konoha comments in disbelief, "Whoa, you're smart despite your dumb look."

"Hey, I'm smart," Komi says, offended. "That was only Plan A. I've got another 25 alphabets to go. Interested in listening for more?"

"If what Komi says is true—" Konoha ignores the loud 'it's fucking true!' from Komi, "—then you're running out of time, Akaashi. You need to move now. The Guild is pretty nasty. It's only a matter of time before they perform a total shutdown just to find you. Saru is having a meeting in Kanagawa. I'll explain the situation to him while you go there by train."

"But Tsukishima—" Akaashi hesitates.

"He'll be fine. And elated to have the apartment for himself just a bit longer," Konoha assures.

Apparently, Komi has gone to the bedroom while Konoha was elaborating the plan and comes back with a bag pack. "I've packed some essential things. The clothes, again, are Konoha's because you can only wear his size. You got some money stashed in the front pocket—should be able to keep you alive and moving for a while. You can ask some from Saru too if it's not enough, he won't mind. Don't forget to buy suppressants and blockers. Throw your phone away, use mine instead. It's the spare one. I hate to say this, but try not to contact your family until I say so. It's dangerous. There's a chance that they might contact your parents."

Akaashi brings his eyes from the items on the table to the clothes in his hands and then sweeps them up to Konoha and Komi. Warmth blooms in his chest at their thoughtfulness. He gets to his feet and gives a ninety-degree bow.

"Thank you," he whispers. His voice comes out shaky.

"Hey, don't sweat it," Konoha says awkwardly, not used to receive such a sincere gratitude from a usually cold Akaashi. "We're just Betas. This is nothing compared to what you've done to survive. I wish we could do more to help people like you."

Akaashi remains quiet. True, he's done so much just to enjoy a normal, quiet life despite being an unregistered Omega. But none wouldn't have come true without their help. He's forever in their debt.

"Alright, puff out your chest!" Komi claps him on the back, with a wide grin. "Get changed already and get your ass moving. You have a long journey awaiting! Don't forget to send us some postcard sometimes. You know I like collecting stamps."

Akaashi looks into Komi's bright face and then returns it with a small but genuine smile.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sawamura flashes his badge at the officer who's securing the café. The premise is thronged with the officers from the Guild. A sigh escapes him as the sight reminds him of a murder scene. The Guild takes no chance regarding the welfare of their precious Alphas, especially a gifted one like Bokuto. While Sawamura is grateful for it, he wishes it could be done in a discreet manner.

"How's it going?" he asks Sugawara as soon as he spots him sitting at a table in the corner with a tall blonde. Sawamura sneaks a glance at the unknown Beta—the blond has a poker face on, disinterested by his presence.

Sugawara slides out of the seat and leads him out of the blonde's earshot. "Nothing much. He refuses to cooperate with me. I've been sitting with him for an hour but all I get from him is 'he's my housemate' and nothing else."

"Tough kid. A Beta?" Sawamura takes the tablet from his mate. He skims through the information on the blonde and the Omega whom they suspect is Bokuto's potential mate.

"Yeah. Name's Tsukishima Kei, 25 years old. A medical student, working here as a part-timer. Apparently, he and Bokuto's potential mate are housemates," Sugawara plucks the important information he's gotten from the system.

"And the Omega? Bokuto's potential mate?"

"Akaashi Keiji, 26, and an engineering student. So far, we got none other than the basic information, and surprisingly, he's not in our system," Sugawara informs him.

Sawamura raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I ran through the Guild's and Centre's systems but I didn't found him there. I had to check the public system to get his information. He appears to be unregistered."

"How did he manage to skip the registration? I thought it's mandatory for everyone to register once they present," Sawamura inquires, scrolling down the tablet for more information.

"I have no idea but maybe it's because he's not from around here. You know how our system works. The enforcement is always better in the city than in the rural areas." Then Sugawara throws a glance over his shoulder at the Beta. "Plus, we're not exactly people's favorite. We're lucky the kid hasn't lashed out at us."

"I suppose you're right." Sawamura follows his mate's eyes and then takes in the surroundings. His keen ears pick up disapproving whispers coming from the crowd outside, loud and clear even though he's sheltered in the café.

It's no secret that most people hold a growing contempt for the Guild and the Centre as their reputation is tainted by a group of irresponsible Alphas. The Guild is accused of recruiting Alphas to be their personal pawns and the Centre of selling Omegas as sex slaves. None of the rumors are true but people are blinded by hatred. The fact that the Guild prefers brutal and straightforward tactics in order to achieve their goal doesn't help either.

"Where are Kuroo and Bokuto?"

"In the storage room," Sugawara answers. "Bokuto's trying to track the Omega down, and Kuroo's watching him in case anything goes wrong."

"I heard from Yaku that Bokuto got a higher dose today. Shouldn't that interfere with his senses?"

"Uh, that. Well, Bokuto requested for… a trigger," Sugawara explains lamely, guiltily, eyes roaming everywhere but at Sawamura.

"What?!" he shouts, shocked. "That stuff is dangerous. We had a deal that no one on our team should take that stuff. Especially Bokuto! His current condition is already bad as it is. Why do you think we put him on the suppressants in the first place?"

Sugawara backs away a little, hands on his mate's chest, anxious. "I know. I know. I tried to talk to him but he didn't listen. You know Bokuto. He won't listen when he's set his mind to it."

"Fine," Sawamura lets out a sigh. It makes sense when he places himself in his mate's shoe. Bokuto is all but determined once he's fixated on something. Desperate too, if he reflects on Bokuto's predicaments. "You go and check up on Bokuto. Keep a close eye on him. If he looks off even if just a little bit, drag him out of the zone and bring him to Yaku immediately. I'll deal with the kid."

"Yes, sir," Sugawara snaps a sharp salute and then proceeds with the command.

After a brief glance at his mate, Sawamura joins the blonde at the table. The Beta seems unconcerned with him. The cold coffee in front of the Beta confirms Sugawara's words.

"Hello there," Sawamura begins with a smile. "I'm Commander Sawamura Daichi, the leader of Team Nine. The Beta officer you talked with is my mate and one of the members on my team, Lieutenant Commander Sugawara Koushi."

The blonde nods once. "Tsukishima Kei."

"Alright, Tsukishima-kun, may I call you Tsukishima-kun or—" When the Beta nods, he carries on, "Alright, Tsukishima-kun. I'm told that you're quite close with Akaashi Keiji. Could you please share more about him?"

"We're housemates and working together, that's all," is all the Beta answers.

"Since you and Akaashi Keiji are housemates, I'm sure you both share some secrets with each other," Sawamura tries again.

"We respect each other's privacy. I don't pry into his life. So does he."

Sugawara has been right about the kid. He's a lost cause. Nothing much can be extricated from the kid. Sawamura sighs again. "Tsukishima-kun, are you aware that Akaashi Keiji is an Omega?"

The blonde doesn't say anything but Sawamura finds his answer from the twitch of his brow. At least, he's gotten something from the Beta. "I don't know how much you're exposed to the nature of an Alpha—"

"Other than abusive and aggressive?"

Sawamura ignores the obvious jab with a quivering smile. "—but allow me to enlighten you. It won't take you long, I promise. We'll leave you and the café alone when I finish."

He takes the Beta's silence as a cue to go on, "When someone presents as an Alpha, one of their senses is heightened. At most, two. There are a few isolated cases where they have more. I'm myself an Alpha, and I have two of my senses enhanced; hearing and touch. For example, with my sense of touch enhanced, I'm able to sense my teammates' presences in the storage room. It allows me to monitor their movement even though I'm currently talking to you. Pretty neat, right?"

The Beta makes an impressed look. Sawamura continues, "But sometimes it can be nasty too. Imagine one day you suddenly can hear everything at the same time. You hear your mother talk with your father in the kitchen, you hear your sister talk into her phone with her friend in her room, you hear the music your brother's listening to, you hear some noise coming from your neighbor house, the dog in the park, the sound of door slamming from another house and all. Too loud, too noisy. Sometimes it gets too much and can drive you insane."

He searches for some empathy in the blonde's eyes but finds none. Whether the kid doesn't care or is good at keeping a poker face, Sawamura isn't sure. He hopes the latter, though.

"This is where a compatible mate comes in," Sawamura moves on. "After an Alpha is presented, they need to find a compatible mate to ground them. With their calming presence, it enables them to have a total control over their enhanced senses. Like my mate, his calming presence tones down my heightened senses to much a bearable level so my brain won't get overloaded with unnecessary information."

"So Betas have the ability to help Alphas with their super senses. That's good," the blonde responds at last, much to Sawamura's relief, "Why bother to find Akaashi-san when we have many Betas out there? Just pick one."

"Remember when I mentioned about 'isolated cases'?" Sawamura asks, and the blonde gives no response. "There are few of us who get all their senses heightened. Betas' calming effect doesn't work on them. Only Omegas can offer enough calming effect to dial down their senses. And they must be compatible with the Alpha or it'll only make the situation worse."

"Still, it's not our concern," the Beta shoots back.

A weary smile stretches across Sawamura's lips at the Beta's stubbornness. "I gave you an example of only one sense is heightened. I don't expect you to understand but try to imagine when all of them is enhanced. It's like the whole world is teaming up to kill you."

At that, the blonde raises a brow.

"You see, this ability is both a gift and a curse. If an Alpha has no bonded mate to ground them, it's a matter of time before their own powerful senses drive him insane and they go rogue or commit suicide to escape the constant pain."

The blonde hums thoughtfully. "That's why you need Akaashi-san?"

"Yes," Sawamura grins, happy that his message reaches base. "We need Akaashi Keiji because his potential Alpha, Bokuto Koutarou has all his senses enhanced. He's been without a compatible mate for years. It's a miracle he's still sane and functioning. But I'm afraid he doesn't have much time left."

There's a beat of silence as the Beta seems to digest everything. Then he asks, "This Bokuto Koutarou, is he a good man?"

Sawamura blinks. "Bokuto's a good Alpha—"

"I don't care if he's a good Alpha. He can be a good Beta and I'd still reject him if he's not good for Akaashi-san," the blonde says, and for the first time, Sawamura is surprised by the stern tone he's using. "I just want to know if he can do right by Akaashi-san."

His face breaks into a huge grin. Sawamura leans in, excited to entertain the question when Bokuto's booming voice, "I FOUND HIM!" carries over to their table and brings their head around.

Sawamura takes in Bokuto's state. Bokuto looks alarmingly pale. There's a bruise on his chin. His breath is coming out in a sounding gasp, but he has a broad, wide grin on his face. A grin that shows his sheer happiness and longing.

"I found him," Bokuto says again, voice layered with admiration. It's as though the Omega is his entire universe. "I found my mate."

Sawamura gets to his feet in that instant. "Good job, Bokuto. You should go and see Yaku. Bring Kuroo with you. Sugawara and I will take over from here."

"I found my mate," Bokuto continues to croon like a hopeless idiot, unaffected by Kuroo's frustration as Kuroo drags him away by the collar.

"We done here?" Sugawara asks with an accomplished smile.

"Yeah, we are," Sawamura affirms. Then he peeks over at the Beta. By the look on the blonde's face, Sawamura figures he found his answer in Bokuto's obvious admiration for his mate. He smiles to himself.

Time to move on to the next mission.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> unbeta'ed


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ( ´ ∀ `)ノ～ ♡ for those commented in the last chapter~

 

 

Akaashi watches warily from behind Sarukui as a team, all in dark, full gears, closes in on him from all sides. Sandwiched between the wall and the plane of Sarukui's body as his last barrier against the team, he scans around the station concourse for an exit. As soon as he spots one, Akaashi tugs Sarukui's sleeve and whispers, "A distraction, if you may?"

"Yeah, sure. Whatever for my sweet kouhai. Just don't forget to visit me in the jail."

"I'm sorry, Sarukui-san," Akaashi says regretfully.

"Don't worry about it. It's been my dream to be a hero. Komi-yan would be so proud of me," Sarukui reassures him, and before Akaashi knows it, the Beta hurls his black case in the closest guy's face and rams an elbow hard in the second one's gut. He shouts, "Run, Akaashi!"

Heart pounding, Akaashi sprints for the exit. His sprint falters when a couple of guys attacks Sarukui but his loud protests keep Akaashi moving despite the guilt in his chest. His bad knee, stiff from the long ride from Tokyo to Kanagawa and the constant running, betrays him and slows him down long enough for the fastest one to take him down in a flying tackle. The man reels back, body jerking violently when Akaashi rams a knee in his balls, but before Akaashi can regain his feet, two others appear out of nowhere and dogpile him and hold him down long enough for a man to crouch and expertly slide a needle in his arm.

Akaashi hisses in protest.

The man tugs down his mask and says in a soothing tone, "Relax. We're not going to harm you. We're taking you to your Alpha."

How is that supposed to reassure him?

Angered, Akaashi manages to yank one arm free to punch him in his serene, perfect face before the sedative drags him down in a tide of darkness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sugawara finds Bokuto in the medical bay, with a bag of ice pressed against the nape of his neck. The Beta gasps, "Are you alright, Bokuto?!"

Bokuto cracks a sheepish smile while Yaku emerges from the supply room and offers, "His nose was bleeding. His body temperature got too high when Kuroo took him in. That's what you get when you take the trigger, you stupid owl." Yaku taps Bokuto's head with a clipboard.

"Is he okay, then?" Sugawara asks, worried.

"I hate to break this, but well, he'll live."

"Rude, Yakkun. Rude!" Bokuto protests, offended.

"Where's Kuroo?" Sugawara searches around for the sly Alpha but he's nowhere to be found. That's odd because Kuroo and Bokuto always come in a pair. They're often misunderstood by fresh-faced recruits as an odd pair who're involved in a romantic Alpha-Alpha relationship like Oikawa and Iwaizumi. The constant absence of Kenma's presence, Kuroo's quiet Beta from the intelligence division, due to his inclination to stay away from crowds, makes the rumors worse.

Then again, neither of them pays heed to the rumors, so Sugawara supposes it doesn't matter.

"This guy—" Yaku nudges Bokuto's knee with his foot, ignoring Bokuto's 'hey~!' "—kept whining hungry, so Kuroo went to the cafeteria to get him some food."

"I see. Ah, Yaku, do you mind checking on Daichi later?"

There's an undertone of worry in Sugawara's voice, and Bokuto sharps his gaze, taking in Sugawara's ruffled look. He sniffs and frowns as he catches the faintest hint of his Omega's scent tinged with sweat and fear, off Sugawara's vest.

"Is it bad?" Yaku asks, already picking up some supplies. He's always an epitome of a doctor when urgently needed despite his harsh personality and treatment towards those are prone to injuries (namely, Bokuto and Oikawa).

"It's not that bad," Sugawara replies, "Well, Bokuto's mate—he, uh, punched Daichi."

"You got him already?!" Bokuto sweeps to his feet in the same time Yaku says, "Whoa, one hell of an Omega he is."

"Yeah. It wasn't easy, though. He fought us. His Beta friend took down Shirabu and Semi. He kneed Kyoutani in the groin before Tanaka and Ennoshita tackled him down," Sugawara explains, scratching the back of his head. He remembers Kyoutani's agony expression as he thrashed in pain on the floor. It looked so painful that he couldn't help but wince as well. His body feels a phantom ache at the memory.

Yaku is shocked. "What the—why didn't you tell me earlier?! Is Kyoutani still alive? Should I go the Centre too? Shibayama—uh, I need to call Shibayama if my presence is needed there. And Shimizu, too."

"He's alright!" Sugawara intervenes the Beta before he scoops everything into his medical bag. "Pissed but he's breathing, alright. I had to send Kyoutani home with Yahaba, though, in case he's going to attack the Omega. Well, I can imagine it. No Alpha's going to take it lightly when an Omega attacks them like that. It's humiliating."

"Well, I can understand that—the pain, not the humiliation," Bokuto comments suddenly, "He punched me in the face too. At least now I know my mate is freaking strong."

"That's what happened to your bruised jaw?" Sugawara sounds disbelief. When Bokuto nods like he's getting praised, all smiling, Sugawara sighs, "I fear for your life, Bokuto. How're you going to live with such a violent mate?"

"We'll manage," Bokuto beams. "Ne, ne, Mama-Suga, can I see my mate now? I want to see him, please."

"He's safe and secure at the Bonding Centre. I can take you there, but uh, I'm not sure if Yaku would let you…" Sugawara trails his voice off, giving Yaku a look.

Yaku gets the unsaid question just fine. He pushes at Bokuto's chest to sit him down on the bed again. "Nope. You're not allowed to leave this room just yet. You had your nose bleeding, for god's sake!"

"But my nose is fine now! It's all dried."

"Your nose is fine, but your brain isn't, you idiot!" Yaku whacks the back of Bokuto's head with the clipboard.

"But Yakkun—wait, no, stop hitting me—Mama-Suga, help me!" Bokuto turns to Sugawara for help after getting another hit from Yaku for his troubles. "I promise you I'll make you and Dadchi dinner! I'll even clean up after. I promise to be a good son for you too!"

"Please refrain yourself from doing that. Last time you made dinner for us, you put Daichi to the hospital. He hasn't recovered from his trauma." Then Sugawara meets Yaku's eyes. "I think we should take Bokuto to his mate. I'm sure he'd be feeling much better around his mate."

Yaku folds his arms over his chest, tossing a calculating look at Bokuto as he considers Sugawara's suggestion. After a minute, he heaves a sigh, "Fine. But we're going together." Then Yaku points his finger at Bokuto in warning, "If I see something wrong, I won't hesitate to drag you back and strap you to the bed. You get that, you stupid owl?!"

Bokuto salutes, "Aye aye, Yakkun!"

After a quick text to Kuroo's number—the sly Alpha mentions that he's going to fetch his Beta and catch up later, Sugawara guides them to the discreet sedan marked with the Guild insignia. The Centre's building isn't that far from the Guild's, the journey shouldn't take too long.

In the sedan, Bokuto sits back and closes his eyes. His hands are trembling at the prospect of meeting his Omega. Soon. He'll be with his Omega soon. He'll be able to touch and taste all he wishes. He can mark his Omega and mate with and cherish him and keep him close by his side and never be alone and in pain again.

"You're excited."

Sugawara's soft voice startles him out of his reverie. Bokuto looks over at the Beta, surprised by the fondness he sees in his eyes. He pulls a smile, "Well, yeah. He's my mate. We're going to live a happy life together."

"Even though he doesn't approve any of this?"

Bokuto blinks at him.

"Bokuto," Sugawara begins gently, "Why do you think Akaashi Keiji ran away from you in the first place? It's obvious he doesn't accept this Alpha-Omega relationship, let alone be mated to one."

"But he's going to accept me."

"We don't know that for sure."

"He  _is_  going to accept me," Bokuto says, with a note of finality in his gruff voice. "He's mine. And I'm his. Nothing can change that."

Sugawara sighs, both resigned and awed at Bokuto's determination and selfishness. One thing he believes in Bokuto is that he's able to change someone's perspective, just like Hinata. He thinks Hinata learned that from him, among other things. A smile makes its way to his face, "Don't look for me when you get punched by him again."

"Don't worry, I can take as many as he can deliver!"

"Please don't. We didn't raise you to be a masochist," Sugawara tells him, aware of the glare Yaku is sending in their way at Bokuto's declaration.

At the Centre's building, they're greeted by Sawamura and Shimizu in the foyer. Bokuto bites back a grin at the sight of Sawamura's bandaged nose and blackened eyes. His Omega clocked him good. Normally, Bokuto would never condone attacking someone from his team, but it's a display of his mate's strength, so Bokuto can't help feeling a pride bloom in his chest.

Ooh, their pups are going to be so strong, he mentally cheers.

Yaku tends to Sawamura, with Sugawara tailing behind them, worried. Shimizu walks Bokuto into the observation room and flicks on a monitor. His mate is sleeping in bed, handcuffed to the bed by his left wrist. He looks so beautiful; a slender body under the gray hoodie that looks so perfect in Bokuto's arms, a pair of legs in tight jeans, probably long enough to wrap around Bokuto's waist, and short, messy, black hair that tempts Bokuto to run his fingers through.

Bokuto licks suddenly dry lips and closes his eyes to keep his mind from wandering off to dirty thoughts. He aches to touch, to taste, to savor his mate.

"As you can see, your mate is uninjured. You may commence bonding at any time. Though, I'm suggesting to take your time since he's obviously unprepared. Give him a few moments to process everything." Shimizu's voice is soft and concerned when she speaks of this. "Your bond is the only one in process at this facility now. Most of the staff in this wing are gone for the weekend, except for those who're in the Accommodation Centre. I'll see that the entire wing is left undisturbed. If you have need of anything, please let the evening assistant know. I will be leaving for the remainder of the week."

"Oh, yes! Thank you!"

He takes no notice when Shimizu exits, eyes locked on the sleeping Omega on the monitor. Bokuto needs to think this through. Sugawara mentioned about his mate's reluctance, and even Shimizu advised him to take his time to bond with his mate. But the pain won't vanish entirely without completing the bond, and he's very looking forward to a life without a pain in his head.

Bokuto takes in the peaceful expression, recalling the guilty look that crossed over his mate's face. A twist in his gut startles him, and he bites his bottom lip.

Oh well, just a bit longer. A little pain won't kill him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Akaashi awakes to a quiet, luxurious, unfamiliar, padded room. He blinks, bewildered for a moment and stares around, tries to roll over and then finds his wrist is restrained. Instinctively he fights it, ignoring the way it digs into his skin.

"You shouldn't do that or you'll hurt yourself."

A tall, familiar form looms in the doorway. Akaashi swallows hard and keeps his mouth shut, determined not to plead or give the Alpha the courtesy of speech, or show how frightened he is. To his surprise, the Alpha sits down in a chair next to the bed and unlocks the handcuff holding Akaashi captive.

"See? It's turning red," the Alpha whispers, thumb rubbing at the mark around the wrist.

Shocked at the skin contact, Akaashi snatches his hand free and sits up, pressing himself flush against the wall to create as much distance between them as the limited space allows him. It's a good thing that he still has the hoodie on, so Akaashi pulls up the hoodie to cover his face. He glances over the Alpha's shoulder at the door that stands ajar, his mind running through possibilities he might have to escape from the Alpha and the Guild.

And then, a thought hits him, "Sarukui-san."

"Saru—who?" The Alpha tilts his head in confusion.

"Sarukui Yamato—a Beta who helped me. I think they arrested him too," he offers mindlessly, panic thoughts racing faster than his rational ones. What if they put him in the jail? What if they hurt him? What if they—

"I don't know who that is, but I'm pretty sure Dadchi won't harm him."

"Dadchi?"

The Alpha perks up. "Ah, yes, Sawamura Daichi, he's my Commander. The one you punched in the face, remember? He's a great guy, though, so he won't hold grudges against you and your Saru friend. But man, you're really awesome! You could put up a fight against a bunch of Alphas and Betas. You're going to be the talk of the town for sure. Wait until Ten-ten gets wind of this. He'd be super thrilled!"

His smile is blinding but Akaashi doesn't have time to dwell on this. He needs to find Sarukui and escapes as soon as possible. He tries, "Do you—do you have any idea where Sarukui-san might be? Or anyone that they arrested in general?"

"In the jail, obviously," the Alpha answers like it's the most obvious thing in the world. Akaashi supposes that makes sense. "But we don't arrest people unless they commit a crime. And I believe you and your Saru friend didn't do anything wrong, so it's not possible they put your friend in the jail."

Akaashi is astonished by the honest answer. "But we ran away and attacked your team."

"Everyone would do that when they got spooked. I mean, I suddenly sprang on you like that. And then Dadchi ambushed you with a team. In full gears, too. It was totally understandable when you kneed Kyouken-chan in the balls."

It prompts a memory floating over in his mind. A pleasant one, actually. Akaashi doesn't make any effort to conceal his smile.

"Why did you run away?" the Alpha inquires, leaning in. When Akaashi shoots a quizzical look, he repeats, "Why did you run away from us—from me? Have we done something wrong to you?"

Akaashi stares into the golden-colored eyes, dumbfounded. He could list down all the wrong doings Alphas had done to his kind—and it's a very long list, ranging from as simple as leering at Omegas in the street to the heavy ones like rapes and abuses. But for some reason, having received such a sincere gaze, bright and filled with curiosity, Akaashi finds himself hesitating.

The Alpha inches closer and closer that Akaashi can feel the Alpha's warm breath ghosting over his cheek. "Why did you run away? Did someone from my kind hurt you? Tell me so I can hunt that bastard down. Tell me so I can do right by you."

"No, none of that. I was surprised is all," Akaashi breaths, at last, hand on the Alpha's broad chest to regain some distance between them. The Alpha returns to his chair, much to his relief. His fingertips tingle from the brief contact with the Alpha's skin.

The intense aura about him is vanished, replaced by a warm atmosphere as a grin lights up the Alpha's face. "I'm glad. But, man, you're really a quiet one, aren't you? You don't talk much. And your voice is like… so calm and cool. You keep a straight face too."

"Does that bother you?" Akaashi absently hugs his knees closer to his chest, defensive even if he doesn't mean to.

"No, no!" the Alpha shakes his head. "I don't mind at all. Actually, I wouldn't have minded if you were louder than me, even. You are you, I would've accepted you whoever you were."

"Even though I was a criminal?" Akaashi shoots back, finding his naivety ridiculous.

"You're not a criminal, so it's okay. But if that was the case, uh…" the Alpha seems to have difficulty in finding an answer. He tilts his head to the side, muscular hands over his chest, eyes closed as he's considering things over, "Well, it'd be extremely difficult. But Ten-ten was a thief before Ushiwaka found him, so I could ask them for some advice."

"Ten-ten? Ushiwaka?"

"Tendou Satori and Ushijima Wakatoshi!" the Alpha chirps, "Ten-ten's an Omega like you too! It'd be great if you two could be best friends! But, uh, Ten-ten has some loose screws. I think he must have lost them when he was a thief back then. I don't know how Ushiwaka handles him. But hey, we have Chibi-chan too! He's an Omega and he's super awesome."

"Seems like you have very interesting friends," Akaashi remarks flatly. He wonders how many nicknames he's going to learn today from the Alpha.

"Yeah, I do. They're fun! Though, the higher-ups think we're a bunch of loose cannons. Dadchi always gets summoned by them because of us," he grins sheepishly, scratching his cheek like it was some kind of praise although it wasn't. "Well, we do dangerous stuff sometimes, but we're not bad people. You know, drastic times call for drastic measures."

"Sounds dangerous to me still."

"Hey, back me up sometimes!" the Alpha whines. Then the frown turns upside down. "Do you want to meet my friends? I promise you, they won't bite you!"

Akaashi's heart stutters at that. Despite his almost emotionless look, it takes his everything to keep himself from trembling in front of the Alpha. He's far from ready to encounter with more Alphas and Betas. Akaashi shrinks deeper into the corner, shaking his head.

"You don't want?"

"No. Please no."

"You don't like them?"

"No, I don't feel… really good around Alphas," Akaashi whispers into his drawn-up knees. "I don't like it here. It reeks of Alphas."

The Alpha stares at him, unblinking. And then; "Do you want to get out of here?"

Akaashi's head snaps back to him. The Alpha hasn't moved his gaze away, glued to him like he's searching for something in Akaashi's eyes. Akaashi opens his mouth. Shuts it. And then; "Would you let me?"

"If you aren't feeling comfortable, we can leave. It's not like everyone monitors us anyway," the Alpha answers as if it's not a big deal. As if all the troubles—the attempt to escape from their clutch, the fights he put up, the injuries he inflicted upon his teammates don't mean much to him. "Plus, you wanted to see your Saru friend, right? I can bring you to him. Then we can leave together."

"Yes, please," Akaashi says, grabbing the Alpha's arm before he can stop himself. When he snaps out of it, a blush dusts across his cheeks. "Sorry."

The Alpha grins, "Don't worry about it. Let me tell my friends first—"

"No!" Akaashi stops him, earning a few blinks from the Alpha. "I mean, I'd prefer not to have anyone tailing us."

"Oh, yes, I see! Of course, because that wouldn't make any different, no? But let me leave a note so Kuroo won't get too worried. He's my best friend forever. Can't have him worry about me, can we? I promise you I won't tell him where we're going, though," the Alpha rambles on as he searches around for a note and a pen.

"You would do that for me?" Akaashi can't help staring at him in disbelief. It's too good to be true. No Alpha would simply submit to Omega's request. It's not their nature.

"Well, yeah, why not? You're very important, I'll always listen to you."

Akaashi's heart skips a beat. The Alpha said it as natural as breathing, and he didn't even use the very old, very trite  _I'm not that kind of Alpha_. Akaashi can't believe this boisterous of an Alpha is so courteous and defying every horrible expectation he has for an Alpha.

"I have a feeling you will," Akaashi concedes softly, wrapped in a whisper that's engulfed by the Alpha's loud; "AH~! I FOUND A PAPER!"

His gaze is surprisingly fond as he watches the Alpha scribble on the paper, tongue out in a childish concentration. And when the Alpha takes Akaashi's hand into his own and yanks him up, the smile on the Alpha's face is wide and promising and beautiful.

"Let's go!"

Enchanted, Akaashi returns the firm grip of their hand and trusts him to guide them out of the building.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Why do I have to do this?" Kenma asks, allowing his mate to guide their way to the room where Bokuto's potential mate is kept with a small push on his back as he's jabbing the buttons on his PSP.

Kuroo is careful to lead his small Beta out of the elevator. "Because Bokuto's mate isn't very fond of our system. We need to get him familiar with us and the system, and I thought you'd be perfect since his Omega seems so quiet just like you."

"Why didn't you ask Shouyou? He's an Omega," Kenma frowns.

"Ushiwaka borrowed him for his mission. You know Chibi-chan wouldn't reject an opportunity to get out. Plus, Tendou likes him around."

Kenma lets out an annoyed sigh, attempting to hunch deeper between his shoulders as an act of protest.

Kuroo cracks an apologetic smile, "C'mon. Let's do this for our brother, yeah? He's been suffering for so long already. A little help won't hurt, right? I promise I'll get you the limited game that you've been yearning since last year."

"Fine," the Beta huffs.

Soon, they're in front of the room. There's no one around, so Kuroo thinks most people have gone home, ready for the weekend. Less distraction for the new couple. Weird, though, because Bokuto doesn't spill out of the room like always whenever he's nearing Bokuto's proximity, thanks to his keen ears. Maybe he's too busy coaxing the Omega out of his shell.

Kuroo knocks on the door once and then twice when he receives no answer. "Bo? It's me, Kuroo."

"Try the knob," Kenma suggests.

He does as he's suggested, only to find the door unlocked. Cautiously, Kuroo opens the door, "Bokuto?"

The room is empty, much to their surprise. Kuroo scans around the room while Kenma throws in, "Maybe they're in the pantry?" behind him. And then Kuroo finds a note on the nightstand, written in a horrible handwriting which Kuroo identifies it as Bokuto's without failure.

 

 

 

 

> _my mate isn't feeling comfortable here, so i'm taking him out. i'm bringing his Beta friend as well, don't bother to find his saru friend too. my mate doesn't want anyone to know where we're going, so don't try to track us down. or i'll know~ ヾ(￣◇￣)ノ〃  
>  _
> 
> _the most awesome and coolest bird of prey~_ _  
> bokuto koutarou ( ˋ Θ ´ )  
>  _

 

 

 

 

"Oh, Dadchi's going to get a heart attack for sure."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> unbeta'ed


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> love and love to those who commented~~~

 

 

Tendou and Ushijima walk through the door of their office in the Guild facility, only to find their commander and their second-in-command fussing over a piece of paper. Puzzled by that, Tendou exchanges a look with his Alpha. It's returned with the similar questioning look from Ushijima. Then Tendou strides over to Kuroo, who's watching their panicky commander with an amused smirk.

"What's up?" Tendou jerks his head at Sawamura.

"It's Bokuto. Where's Chibi-chan? I thought he was with you guys," Kuroo asks, looking around the couple for a sign of their little sunshine.

"He left to find your mate. Did Bokuto get hospitalized again?" Ushijima interjects from Tendou's right side. "He should start looking for a mate. It'd have saved him and us from all troubles."

"Actually he's found a compatible mate. But the thing is… well, long story short, our Bokuto is already head over heels in love with his reluctant mate and decided to satisfy him with everything he can. That's including heeding his mate's request to rescue his Beta friend and run away from the Centre facility and warn us not to find them," Kuroo summarizes everything up.

Tendou blinks at Kuroo, once and then twice, before he bursts out laughing, "Oh my god, this is gold! That owl bastard actually did that?! Man, he's got balls! No wonder Dadchi looks so fucking pissed off."

"Oh boy, you haven't heard everything yet. His mate is even crazier. You see Dadchi's face? That was his mate's doing. Also, he kneed Kyoutani in the balls. In the fucking balls," Kuroo snickers evilly.

That sets Tendou off again. He crouches down, hands around his middle as a round of laughter explodes out of his mouth. His face is turning red from lack of oxygen, too busy laughing while Ushijima keeps a straight face, unaffected by his mate's hyena laugh.

"Ushijima!" Sawamura calls out, striding towards the man. He shoves the note in Ushijima's hand. "Use this note. Track Bokuto down, now! Sugawara is trying to track him using GPS, but it's taking too long. Maybe Bokuto's taken out his battery phone or thrown it away."

Ushijima glances over the note. "He said not to find him."

"I don't care what he said, just find him."

"There, there, deep breath, Dadchi. I know it's hard because your beautiful nose is swollen, but please, a deep breath," Tendou says after recovering from his hyena laugh. He draws a soothing circle on Sawamura's back in an attempt to calm his commander down even though he's clearly amused by this. "This wasn't serious. It was just Koutarou-kun and his whims. We've gone through this before, right?"

"They ran away from us!" Sawamura exclaims.

"So?" Tendou questions back.

Sawamura is taken aback. It was a simple question but paired with Tendou's huge eyes, it's more than enough to raise doubts in Sawamura. He grits his teeth. "What if Bokuto's mate decided to ditch him, or worse, hurt him? That man packs a powerful punch, for god's sake. And we don't even know if they've completed their bond yet."

"Aw, Dadchi, I'm touched," Kuroo interferes. "But I think you're underestimating Bokuto. He might be crazy a bit and always act on whims, but he's not stupid, you know. How do you think he survived without a mate thus far?"

"A lot of suppressants and a bunch of medical paperwork," Sugawara chimes in from the table where a touchscreen monitor is installed.

"Fair point," Kuroo shouts back and then turns to Sawamura, "Anyway, you get my meaning, right."

Sawamura sighs, "I know he can take care of himself. But his conditions are grave—"

"Wait a sec," Kuroo cuts him off when he feels a vibration in his back pocket. He fishes his phone out and reads the screen. An unknown number. He answers the call, "Kuroo Tetsurou."

"Kuroo, my bro!"

Kuroo recognizes that voice just fine. He smirks, "You owl bastard."

"Is that Bokuto? Connect your phone to the monitor now. I want to talk to him," Sawamura goes back to the table. Sugawara notices this and sets a connection to Kuroo's phone. Then he turns the volume up with a flick of his finger on the monitor.

Kuroo does as he's told, going over to the table, tailed by Tendou and Ushijima. He watches his phone screen pop out on the monitor, places his phone down on the table when it does, and allows Sugawara to take over the system of his phone. He says, "Yo, bro, what the fuck, man?" in lieu of a casual greeting.

"Bro, I'm so sorry I left like that!" Bokuto replies. His loud voice comes out static from the speaker.

"BOKUTO!" Sawamura yells, furious, "What were you thinking, pulling that kind of stunt on us?!"

"Dadchi~?!" Bokuto shrieks.

Sugawara joins his mate, just as disappointed and irritated. He continues skimming through the process log on the screen to pin Bokuto's exact location. "And me too. I trusted you, Bokuto. But you—oh my god, why did you do that? I let you meet your mate, and this is how you repay me? Unbelievable." And then he whispers to Sawamura, "NumberProxy. That means he's probably using a disposable phone. Man, when did he learn to be so discreet?"

"When you told him to learn that stuff from Kenma," Kuroo smirks. Then he adds as an afterthought, "For his own benefits, you said."

Sugawara regrets his poor decision. The tracking software shows a result anyway. He whispers to Sawamura, "Tokyo city."

Bokuto shouts, "Mama-Suga?! I'm sorry! Like, so sorry! I had to! Please don't be mad, Mama-Suga. Dadchi, I'm so sorry. It's just, I had to this. Please don't be mad at me."

No one can stay mad at Bokuto for so long, not when Bokuto is pulling his child-like innocent card. That's including Sawamura and his mate. Sawamura closes his eyes and tries to take a deep breath through his bruised nose. It hurts but works. "Alright, alright, I get it. I won't get mad. Just come back, okay?"

There's a pregnant pause before Bokuto replies, "I can't."

Sawamura feels another headache coming. "Bokuto, don't make me ask Ushijima to find you and drag your sorry ass back here."

"Ushiwaka is there?" Bokuto asks.

"Yes, I am here," Ushijima answers, scooting closer to the table next to his mate. He casually wraps an arm around Tendou's waist when Tendou presses himself against his body.

"Ne, ne, Ushiwaka. Say, do you love Ten-ten?"

"Yes, that goes without saying," Ushijima confirms, firm and steady. No hint of emotion. Just a matter of fact. It doesn't stop Tendou from swooning over him, though. Tendou hugs his muscular arm and smiles like a fool in love.

"Are you willing to do anything for Ten-ten, then?"

"Yes, I am."

"Even though it's meant you have to go against Dadchi's orders?"

"Bokuto!" Sawamura warns.

Ushijima pauses, staring at the screen. And then he matches with his curious mate's huge eyes, fond and affectionate, before he meets his commander's gaze, challenging. Sawamura senses this and stares back. He's aware of Ushijima's superiority in the sense of Alpha level and strength, just like how Bokuto surpasses him in the very same sense, but he is appointed as their commander for a reason.

"I would take everything into considerations if it was to ensure my mate's safety and comfort," Ushijima answers at last. "According to ranks, Sawamura is my commander. Following his orders is a must. However, Satori is my mate. He is the reason why I am still breathing and alive. Therefore, he is, and always will be my first priority, regardless of the situations. It is my responsibility as his Alpha to keep him safe and comfortable. Listening to him first is always my duty because he's very important to me."

Upon hearing that earnest confession, Tendou flings his arms around his mate and shouts happily, "My Miracle Boy is the best mate ever~! I love you so much~ So much, so much my heart could burst!"

"Don't, you'll die."

"Aw, Wakatoshi-kun, you're lucky I love you so much."

"Oh my, too much of PDA," Kuroo says flatly, hand swatting away the imaginary love coming from Tendou while Sawamura and Sugawara are despaired of having such an overbearing couple on their team.

"So~" Bokuto's voice draws their attention back to him, "From bro to bro, and Alpha to Alpha, if I told you that I'm doing this to make sure my mate safe and comfortable, would you not try to track us down?"

"What?!" Sugawara can sense where this is going. Surprised, he fails to notice the system has finished tracking Bokuto down until Tendou, forever a thief, takes the matter into his hands by canceling and deleting the log. Kuroo is soaking everything up in silence, too amused by the progress. He's got a hell of the story to share with his mate later. Sugawara shouts, "Hey!" and tries to elbow him in the ribs but Tendou is faster to slips away.

"Your point?" Ushijima inquires after he made himself an immovable boulder between his playful mate and Sugawara.

"You see, my mate isn't feeling great around Alphas. That's why I took off with him—ah, and his Saru friend too. I just want to keep him safe and comfortable, just like you do to your Ten-ten, so going back there is a no-no," Bokuto explains, "C'mon, Ushiwaka, I know you're the only person there who can track us down. Work with me here, buddy. Our mates are the most important person to us, right?"

Alarmed, Sawamura gives Ushijima a look. "Ushijima, don't you dare—"

Just like that, Ushijima agrees, with a straight face and all, "You have my words, Bokuto."

And that prompts another round of hyena laughter from Tendou and Kuroo. Sugawara, too wary of this madness, suffers in silence and goes through the log to find any result that slipped from Tendou's eyes while Sawamura snaps out, "WHAT THE—"

"You heard me, Sawamura. As long as it is not for the emergency, I won't track Bokuto and his mate down."

"But—oh my god, why is this happening to me? Just tell me why. Please, enlighten me before I go nuts," Sawamura says, exasperated. Sometimes he hates his team so much, especially when everyone is swept into Bokuto's insane whims.

"As high-level Alphas, we both are very dependent on our mates. Our life is in their hands, whether you like it or not. It only makes sense that we listen to our mates first," Ushijima says, without a note of guilty. Always straight to the point. It's very difficult to argue with a straight-forward person like Ushijima.

Tendou interrupts before Sugawara makes his point clear, "Guys, guys, don't be like that. It's not like Koutarou-kun is trying to leave the country. Right, Koutarou-kun?"

"Nope, my mate didn't say anything about that," Bokuto informs happily.

"See, see?" Tendou gestures at the screen, "Koutarou-kun isn't trying to run away, he's just… taking a break? Ah, yes, he's taking a break with his mate, y'know, so they can have privacy to bond and do sexy things. Like honeymoon! Let's just assume that, yeah?"

"Aw, Ten-ten, you're so kind!" Bokuto says. "Uh oh—I need to go, okay? Just so you know, I'm going to toss this phone away, so don't bother to track us down, okay? But, uh, if you still do, which I'll know, you have another thing coming. I know there are armed dealers lurking around here. Their grenades are cheap, you know. See ya~"

"BOKUTO—" Sugawara gets cut off. Then he sighs, a hand covering half of his face, weary, "I can't believe he actually threatened us like that. And you, Tendou, I can't believe you did that!"

"Koutarou-kun is my favorite," Tendou snickers, taking pleasure in Sawamura and Sugawara's annoyance.

Sawamura is too tired with this shit and mumbles, "Where is Iwaizumi when I need him the most? I need another sane mind to digest this."

"Oh, would you look at that, Dadchi is playing favorite again," Tendou says. Then he takes a driver out of his hoodie front pocket and slides it across the table, straight into Sugawara's hand, paying no mind to Sugawara's glare. "Some evidence from our mission."

"As the youngest son, I feel betrayed," Kuroo deadpans.

"You and Iwaizumi aren't his children," Ushijima states the fact.

"It's a figurative speech."

"And Sawamura is the youngest among us," he says, again, another solid fact.

"I told you, it's a goddamn figurative speech—fucking hell, Tendou, how can you stand with this guy?" Kuroo asks and retrieves his phone.

Tendou is already headed for the door, dragging his stoic mate along. "Anything for his huge cock, Tetsurou-kun~"

Sugawara slaps his hands over his ears, "Oh my god, Tendou, I don't need to know THAT!!!"

Tendou's cackle fades behind the closed sliding door.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Let me get this straight," Konoha pinches the bridge of his nose, irritated. He taps his foot on the floor. Tsukishima seems unaffected next to him. Konoha tries again, "You met this guy, who claimed to be your Alpha, talked to him for like, five minutes, and for some reason, you managed to convince him to get you and Saru out of there."

Akaashi remains impassive on the couch, blowing over his warm coffee. "Yes."

"Just like that?" Konoha asks again.

"Just like that," he clarifies.

Konoha pulls at his blonde hair and lets out a soundless scream, frustrated at the fact he can't find logic in that story. And then he shouts, "That's so fucking ridiculous—it's, I mean, who the fuck would simply release you guys like that?!"

"Apparently, he would—and actually did that," Sarukui points his finger at the subject of their conversation who seems awed by a flock of flying birds on the balcony. Sarukui has claimed Komi's left thigh as his pillow and lays on the couch, his feet on Akaashi's lap, using his sore body from the tackle as his excuse. His shirt is all wrinkled from the incident.

"So what are we going to do to him now?" Komi inquires, threading his fingers through Sarukui's lock. "Kill him? Whose car are we going to steal? We have a hammer stored somewhere here. It's a common one—should take a while to trace back to us, so we have time to run away."

"Don't be ridiculous, asshole," Konoha disagrees.

"But he's—" Komi tries.

"We're not killing anyone," Konoha glares.

"Fine, I get it, no killing, no body disposal," Komi raises his hands in surrender. Then he looks at Akaashi, "What's your plan, Akaashi? Are you going to lie to him and ditch him? My offer still stands, by the way," he adds, ignoring Konoha's disapproving glare.

Akaashi looks over at the balcony from the peripheral view. Bokuto Koutarou, whose name he learned while they were trying to find their way back to Konoha's apartment, seems to enjoy the view of the city from the balcony. That look is way too innocent for an overgrown Alpha. It doesn't fit his description of an Alpha he knows. Akaashi sighs, "I don't know."

"You don't know?" Konoha sounds disbelief. "Akaashi, he's an Alpha. That guy attacked you and hauled your sorry ass to their facility and arrested Saru just because he thinks he's your Alpha. And then you brought him home—no, wrong, to my apartment."

Komi interrupts, "Dude, you forgot me and Saru. Our names are in the fucking agreement too, asshole."

And Sarukui throws in, "Well, it was his team that hauled his ass, not him. So yeah…"

And then Tsukishima adds around the mouth of his own mug coffee, matter-of-factly, "Actually, it was Akaashi-san who ran from him in the first place. But I guess we're being biased here, so let's ignore that part."

The last part gets on Konoha's nerves. "Okay, fine! We're being biased here! That's wrong, I fucking got that. But can you ignore the fact that the guy was trying to make Akaashi as his own property? Can you ignore the fact that the guy's a fucking Alpha?"

"But he released Akaashi-san, didn't he?" Tsukishima questions back, undeterred. "And he let Sarukui-san go too? Plus, he didn't reveal Akaashi-san's whereabouts to his team. Can you ignore that part?"

"Are you suggesting we should thank him and forget all the wrongdoings his kind has done to Omegas?" Konoha challenges, peeved. "Since when you become an Alpha supporter?"

Tsukishima takes a sip on his drink. "I'm just saying that we should try to get to know him, that's all. But if you're revolted by that idea, I don't mind. You could put him in a meat grinder for all I care. Just don't get me involved."

"See? Tsukki got me!" Komi cheers.

"Actually, I seconded that but Konoha's too scary, so please pretend that I'm against that idea." Sarukui pats Komi's cheek and pays no mind to Konoha's pinched look. Komi grins.

"Oh my god, Komi, no one is killing anyone here! Saru, stop babying Komi so much. You're the reason why he got so many wild ideas," Konoha accuses, having had enough of his crazy housemates.

"Right," Sarukui agrees quickly. He feigns a disapproving look, "Komi-yan, I'm totally against the idea, don't do it. Do it when Konoha isn't around. And please do not say it was my idea if you get caught, no one is going to bail you out if both of us get arrested."

"Shit, bro, you're totally my best friend forever—even if you're a monkey." Komi wipes non-existent tears away from his eyes.

"I resent that," Sarukui says in a reply to Komi's remark. The grin is persistent on his face, though.

Konoha wrinkles his nose, annoyed, "I have a feeling that I'm not going to like the direction of this conversation is taking, so let's get back to the topic—Akaashi, seriously, what the fuck are you going to do now? What about your supposed Alpha out there?"

Every pair of eyes in the room are focusing on Akaashi. He feels a little queasy under their scrutiny. "I have no idea. I could trick him and ditch him somewhere but he can track me down."

"Not if we buy you some time. We can try to distract him until you get far enough to escape his heightened sense. I mean, he had his sense of smell enhanced, right? He's probably got a sensitive nose like a dog's but it's useless when you get far enough," Komi suggests.

"Actually, he can," Tsukishima says suddenly, without preamble and a hint of surprise. He's sipping on his drink casually, undisturbed by the stares he's getting.

"What do you mean?" Akaashi asks at last.

"Do you remember when you bolted out of the café?" Tsukishima's eyes flick up at Akaashi. "The tracking—it was him who tracked you down. I didn't catch the details, but I think he used your scent on your bag in the storage room to find you. And he did it alone, without help from anyone."

Akaashi widens his eyes in surprise. "But that—I thought I was at least two hours ahead of him. It was impossible to be able to track my scent that far."

"It got you and Sarukui-san arrested, didn't it?" Tsukishima seems unimpressed. "Not only that, apparently, he had all his senses heightened, and is one of the highest level Alpha in the Guild. Probably that's why he could track you down even though you were in Kanagawa. He's that good. In fact, I believe he's listening to us right now."

That strikes them with horrified realization. They turn their heads to the balcony, eyeing the Alpha suspiciously, anxiously. The Alpha continues humming to himself, oblivious to their stares. Komi is the first one to break the silence, "Guys, we need to do something to confirm if he listened to us."

"I did," the Alpha raises his voice so he can be heard. Then he pivots around, with a wide grin on his face, which prompts Komi letting out a squeak and tapping on Sarukui's shoulder repeatedly to have him sitting up so he can hide behind Sarukui's body. Tsukishima has a look that very much says, I told you.

"How much did you listen?" Akaashi asks after finding his voice.

The Alpha ambles into the living room. He seems to pick up on the atmosphere and keeps a respectful distance between him and the group. "Not much. I tried to not listen to you guys because that'd be rude, but it was like trying to make the waterfall stop. I did catch 'hammer' and 'body disposal', though," he says, eyes drifting over to Komi's panicked face, who let out another yelp and does a weird gesture with his fingers.

Konoha notices this, "Komi, what are you doing?"

"Our secret codes, asshole, like how the SWAT communicates in their mission," Komi whispers, "I developed it with Saru, remember?"

"No, I don't know anything about secret codes," Sarukui frowns.

"What the hell, Saru. You're supposed to back me up."

Konoha steels himself and stares the Alpha down, challenging him, "Look, I don't know what's inside that head of yours, but your kind isn't welcomed here. I'd appreciate it if you get lost right now. Thank you for helping Akaashi and Saru, we'll send you a basket of fruits to your office later."

The Alpha isn't deterred. Instead, he cocks his head to the side, blinking owlishly, "I see. You guys are those guys."

"What." The annoyance in Konoha's voice is more apparent.

"The group who hates the system and us. I seriously don't understand why you guys hate us so much," the Alpha makes a calculating look.

"Are. You. Fucking. Kidding. Me," Konoha spits out in disbelief. "Are you for real—dude, you hauled Akaashi and Saru into the jail—"

"The Centre facility isn't a jail."

"—and you hurt them—"

"Wait, hurt? Why didn't you say anything? We could've swung by the hospital."

"—and you tried to take Akaashi's freedom away and make him your personal sex slave, and you fucking said that you don't understand why we hate you? Fuck you, man!" Konoha shouts.

The Alpha stares, but not at Konoha. Instead, he stares into Akaashi's eyes. Akaashi averts his gaze away, uncomfortable. At last, the Alpha responds, "What, I don't get it—freedom, I tried to take his freedom away? And—and personal sex slave?"

When no one gives an answer, the Alpha starts to spill out a string of words, panicked, mostly directed at Akaashi as though he's trying to clear things out, "No! No, no, no, no! I wouldn't do that to you—wait, the chase and the arrest, those made everything worse, didn't they? Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I swear I didn't ask them to bring you in like that—I didn't know they would—fuck it, of course, they would do that, it's the fucking Guild! I'm so sorry! Please don't hate me."

Akaashi refuses to meet the Alpha's bright golden-colored eyes. He keeps his gaze glued to the drink cradled in his hands. His grip around the handle is growing stronger his knuckles turn white.

The Alpha drops to his knees. "I'm so sorry. I wouldn't do that to you. This life, this freedom—they're yours. You can continue living your life, you can work at your café, talk with your friends and do whatever you want. I won't stop you. The choice is yours, I won't take that away from you."

"Can I choose not to be your mate?"

The Alpha looks surprised. And then it contorts into pain, and Akaashi doesn't like the cold, hard ball developing in his gut. "Why?" he asks, his voice shaky, "Why do you not want to be my mate? What did I do wrong? Tell me so I can fix it, so we can—"

He has many answers but Akaashi settles on, "I don't know you."

The response is immediate. His words are fast, broken and desperate. "My name is Bokuto Koutarou. I'm twenty-six, and I've been working for the Guild since I was fourteen. My favorite food is yakiniku and my best friend is Kuroo. He's a good guy but can be sneaky too. I love owls and volleyball—"

"Stop it."

"I hate math because it's difficult, and I always go to bed early. I have mood swings, they're random, so people—"

When the desperation in the Alpha's voice is too much for Akaashi to take, he raises his voice, "STOP IT!" furious to mask the guilty feeling in his chest. His own shout hangs in Akaashi's ears, cruel and haunting.

Pain flashes in the Alpha's bright eyes. Akaashi feels a turmoil of emotions gathers in his throat. There's a voice lamenting inside his head, a voice belongs to him but not—his Omega instinct pulses through him. This doesn't feel right, he doesn't deserve this, he needs to comfort him—

Before Akaashi knows it, the Alpha has kneeled in front of him, legs folded underneath him, forehead touching the floor.

The Alpha pleads, each word is filled with desperation and pain, "I'm sorry. I'll listen to you, I'll do whatever you want me to do but please—please don't abandon me. I'm begging you. I can't—"

No. This isn't what he had on his mind. Alphas are prideful creatures—they strut instead of walking, they boast instead of talking. Alphas are meant to dominate. Never submit, and yet this Alpha—no, his supposed Alpha is submitting to him, an Omega, in front of his Beta friends.

This is beyond him. Even Konoha, who is revolted by the existence of Alphas and the Guild itself, is having a hard time to digest this.

The Alpha keeps pleading and pleading and pleading. Everything comes back to Akaashi in a crushing wave—the guilty for lumping the Alpha together with the rest even though he rescued him and rejecting him after he opened up to the Alpha at the facility; it was the product of his desperation to escape from the facility, but still.

At last, Akaashi removes himself from the couch. He places his mug on the table and makes his way to the kneeling Alpha. He sits on his heels and reaches out. Hesitates. His stomach doesn't settle. And then decides to get over with it and puts his palm on the Alpha's shoulder blade. "Hey," he tries.

His reaction isn't as instant as Akaashi hoped, but the Alpha lifts his head nonetheless. Surprise dawns on Akaashi when he sees tears pool in the Alpha's eyes. "Are you crying?"

Although the answer is obvious, the Alpha shakes his head rapidly. Akaashi sighs—that was so childish. "Alright. Just… just calm down, okay? Can you do that?"

He nods, head bobbing up and down quickly. Then he wipes his tears away with his sleeves, sniffles loudly and asks, "Be my mate?"

Akaashi can't answer to that, not when his feelings and thoughts are jumbled all over. The Alpha seems to get this, and sadness clouds his face again. Akaashi tries to reason out in a feeble attempt, "It's complicated—I mean, it's not that—"

It doesn't work, so Akaashi resorts to distraction, "The balcony, you enjoyed the view, didn't you?" When the Alpha gives him a small nod, Akaashi takes hold of his left wrist. The pulse feels alive and warm under his fingers. Akaashi ignores the sensation and says, "Show me, then."

He sniffles once and then, "Okay."

Akaashi knows this doesn't solve the problem. His opinion on Alphas can't be easily changed just because his supposed Alpha helped them or teared up in front of him. At the same time, he doubts he can convince the Alpha to forget about making him his mate. But he guesses it's better to take one step at a time.

And now, he allows the Alpha to indulge himself just a bit longer. In return, he can escape his friends' confused stares and enjoys the smile on the Alpha's face.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Later, while the Alpha is passed out on the couch, exhausted, Konoha asks over the boxes of Chinese take-out. "What are you going to do now?"

"Home."

"Home, our apartment?" Tsukishima tilts his head. He takes out his phone from his pocket. "I need to text Tadashi."

"No, home  _home_. I want to see my family." Akaashi stabs at a meatball, undecided to feel annoyed or relieved after witnessing the Alpha's strange behaviors. He needs another insight—preferably from his parents.

Sarukui almost chokes on his noodles and punches his chest. "Wait, how about your supposed mate? Are you going to leave him here?"

Akaashi sneaks a glance at the back of the couch from his seat at the dining table. Then he answers after a minute of a thoughtful moment, "I'm bringing him along. I guess," because, really, he can't see another way.

Konoha and Sarukui yelp 'what?!' at the top of their voices while Komi giggles around a pair of chopsticks between his teeth, amused, "Seriously, dude, don't forget to record your parents' reaction. I'd love to see it."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> unbeta'ed
> 
> bokuto and tendou are my babies. please protect them


End file.
